England defender John Terry retires from international football citing FA made his position 'untenable'

John Terry announced his retirement from international football on Sunday
night a matter of hours before facing Football Association charges of
racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, a prosecution that he claims has made his
position with the national side “untenable”.

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Farewell: John Terry has played his final game for England Photo: PA

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And he's off: John Terry has said the Football Association's decision to pursue disciplinary charges has made his position in the inetrnational set-up as 'untenable'Photo: ACTION IMAGES

Terry faces a ban of upwards of four matches if found guilty of the charge, an outcome that would pose a significant challenge to the FA’s moral authority as governing body were he to then be selected for the England team.

The Chelsea captain, who represented England 78 times, appears to have taken that decision out of the FA’s hands, claiming that the decision to pursue him on charges of which he has already been acquitted in a court of law, was decisive.

He was cleared by Westminster Magistrates Court in July of a racially aggravated public order offence after he used the words “f------ black c---” in an angry exchange directed at Ferdinand.

Terry has always claimed that he used the phrase as part of a question, to ascertain whether Ferdinand believed he had used the words earlier in the game in an abusive context. The FA has pursued the charge because Terry’s use of the words, regardless of context, could constitute a breach of its rules banning offensive language and conduct.

The timing of Terry’s decision is as instructive as it is surprising, given his apparent commitment to continue playing for England throughout a controversy that has dragged on for almost a year.

Some will assume that, with the prospect of defeat, he has jumped from international football before being pushed by an FA board that has already stripped him of the captaincy over the affair.

Manager Roy Hodgson has been publicly committed to Terry, however, selecting him ahead of Ferdinand’s brother Rio for the European Championship, and expressing a desire that he be “freed” to continue playing for England. Terry and Chelsea also delayed the legal process after the original criminal charges were laid, a decision that enabled him to play for England in Euro 2012 apparently with full commitment.

The FA stripped him of the captaincy against the wishes of then manager Fabio Capello after the trial was delayed, prompting the Italian to resign.

Terry remained publicly available for selection for the recent World Cup qualifiers, though injury prevented his interest in the national team being tested, and retained the support of Hodgson.

In a statement issued on Sunday night Terry said: “I am today announcing my retirement from international football. I would like to thank the England managers who have selected me for my 78 caps.

“I have had great pleasure in sharing that honour with all the players that I’ve played with. I would like to thank them, the fans and my family for their support and encouragement during my international career.

“Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of as a boy and it has been a truly great honour. I have always given my all and it breaks my heart to make this decision. I want to wish Roy [Hodgson] and the team every success for the future.

“I am making this statement today in advance of the hearing of the FA disciplinary charge because I feel the FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable.

“I now look forward to playing for Chelsea, and challenging for domestic and European honours, and I want to thank the fans and the club for their continued support.”

The fallout from the Terry-Ferdinand spat at Loftus Road last October has now claimed an England manager and a former captain, and it is not over yet. In a hearing expected to last two days at a secret location, Terry will deny an FA charge of “using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour, which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race, towards Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand.” Ferdinand will appear and give evidence for the prosecution in a case that will be heard by a four-man commission chaired by a QC.

Terry’s defence will be broadly similar to that he deployed at Westminster Magistrates Court when he was charged with a racially aggravated public order offence. In the trial he insisted his words had been taken out of context by Ferdinand.

His legal team, headed by George Carter-Stephenson QC, who defended him in court, will argue that the FA’s own rules prevent the case being heard again following the criminal acquittal. They will cite a FA law which states that the results of civil or criminal proceedings are “presumed to be correct and the facts presumed to be true”.

The commission is unlikely to accept the argument given that the FA has ruled it is in a position to proceed with the case despite the acquittal.

The charge is under the same section of the FA rule book used to charge Liverpool striker Luis Suárez, who received an eight-match ban for repeatedly calling Patrice Evra “negrita”.